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B. P. MQGARR N. METALLIC PIGKBT FENCE.

No. 352,339. Patented Nov. 9,1886.

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ZZZZWJZWMZWF 2217 022 Attes- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. MOOARRON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

METALLIC PICKET FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'352.339, dated November 9, 1886.

Application filed May 15, 1886. Serial No. 202,308. (No model.)

useful Improvement in Metal Picket Fences,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my metallic fence, with parts broken away to show the twisted shoulders of the pickets. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the fence on line 2 2, Fig. 1, showing the longitudinal slot in the bar and the relative positions of the twisted picket above said bar in full lines and beneath it in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view, showing one of the slotted bars and the position of the picket in the slot before twisting to form its shoulders; and Fig. 4. is a detail side View of the picket after twisting, showing the untwisted neck, which is rigidly held in the slot during the process of twisting, and the adjacent shoulders that look the connection of the pickets to the bars.

My invention relates to those metal picket I fences in which the pickets are locked by a peculiarity in their configuration; and my invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, A represents my metal picket fence, which is securely held together and braced by the shoulders B B on the vertical pickets, (see Figs. 1 and 4,) which, as shown, are alternately of long lengths B, engaging in three horizontal rails or bars, 0, and short lengths B, engaging in two bars; but I do not confine myself to the use of varied lengths in the pickets or to the number of bars used, as pickets may be of held therein by their twisted shoulders, as

will be more particularly described hereinafter. The parts of the pickets seated in the slots in the bars are held thereby from turning and form straight necks B to the shoulders that the twist forms above-and below. (See Fig. 4..) The horizontal bars are braced from sagging by vertical flanges G on their sides.

After the slotted flanged bars and straight metal pickets have been provided, the operation of setting up or putting together the panels, and my novel manner of locking and bracing the parts together, is as follows: The straight pickets, which I prefer to make of flat iron bars, are passed through the slots inthe pickets through all the rails, the workmen with lever-grip clamping-tools grip the pickets and twist them transversely until each section between the rails in which it engages is at a right angle to that in the adjacent section or sections. The twist practically and securely locks the parts wherever they connect, and forms shoulders on the pickets both above and beneath the rail, bracing the whole firmly without the intervention of any small parts (as keys or wedges) that add to the expense of manufacture and the labor in erection, and with much less labor and expense than upsetting shoulders would require.

It is evident that by having the vertical pickets twisted between the horizontal bars relatively at diverse angles to the adjacent sections above and below, and also diverse from the running line of the fence, (see Fig. 1,) the said fence is stiffened or braced both transversely and longitudinally, while the side flanges on the bars brace it vertically.

It is also evident that as this fence consists of only two parts, the pickets and thebars, there are no small pieces to quickly rust, form points of weakness in the fence, and shorten its duration.

The fence is so easily constructed and its panels so stiftly braced by the locking of all its connections that it is especially adapted to be put up in panels-in the workshops where it is manufactured and thus transported to the place of its erection. 'It thus provides a fence suitable for both portable and permanent use,

and being already put up in panels can very 5 quickly be erected in any place desired.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a fence, of the horizontal metal bars 0, having flanges O and slots 0, with metal pickets having twisted shoul- IO ders above and below one or more of the intersecting bars, and looking the pickets to said bars, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the'horizontal metal bars having flanges and being provided with slots, with flat metal pickets having shoulders 15 formed thereon by twisting them at each passage through the slots in the bars and at right angles to their adjacent positions, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

EDWARD F. MoGARRON. In presence of- BENJN. A. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT. 

